My usual method of cooking involves getting a pan, heating it and pouring a little oil into it, then adding prepared vegetables a little at a time until I have a finished dish. That's about as simple as cooking gets and I get nervous when things get much more complicated. But, saying that, I'm going to suggest complicating this recipe just a wee bit by cooking some of the ingredients at the beginning and leaving them aside to add to the dish at the end. We'll roast the nuts and fry half of the pumpkin then chuck them into the risotto at the end to add more flavour and texture. All the action takes place in the same pan, so we're not going all Master Chef yet. This is just a tiny deviation from my usual method. But if even this sounds like too much bother, the recipe will still work okay if you skip the initial stages and just start banging everything into the pan without any prior preparation.
I don't always peel pumpkin, but I did for this recipe. It's quite a tough and potentially dangerous procedure. I recommend slicing the pumpkin first into pieces about 1cm thick and then cutting the skin off those pieces. When you've done that, chop the slices into smaller pieces, again about 1cm wide. You'll end up with little pumpkin wedges, which is just what we need.
This recipe will serve three or four people.
Stick the kettle on before you start, as you'll need some hot water for this recipe and when it's boiled you can dissolve the stock cubes in a mug of the hot water so you have stock ready when you need it.
Peel and chop the pumpkin and garlic. Put the pan on to heat. Put the walnuts in the pan (without any oil) and swirl them about on a medium heat for a couple of minutes to toast them a little. Put them in a small dish and leave aside for later. Now, put a little oil in the pan and when it's hot, add half of your chopped pumpkin. Give an occasional gentle stir and fry until the pieces are browning and are soft enough to put a fork in easily. Put the fried pumpkin aside for later too.
Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the garlic for just a few seconds before stirring in the rice. Fry for another couple of minutes, then add the rest of the pumpkin and start adding the stock and hot water in small amounts, stirring until the water has all been absorbed. Continue doing this until the rice is soft but still chewy in the centre.
Add the fried pumpkin and roasted nuts that you've been saving and stir them in to the risotto to warm them up. Add a little more water to keep the risotto quite fluid if necessary. Add the herbs and a knob of butter or margarine and stir them in, then stir in some grated parmesan and that's your risotto ready.
Try serving with a salad of green leaves and sliced red onions, seasoned with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And, of course, a glass or two of crisp white wine.